An American woman who tried to shoot a man in the UK at point-blank range was found guilty of conspiracy to murder. According to reports, Aimee Betro flew into the US and tried to shoot Sikander Ali. However, her gun jammed, which helped Ali flee the scene unharmed.
According to a BBC report, the incident occurred in 2019, and following this, Betro went into hiding for five years. The 45-year-old was extradited earlier this year from Armenia. She will be sentenced on August 21.
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About the failed assassination:
Prosecutors told the court that Betro climbed out of a car in September 2019 with a niqab over her face, cited AFP. She then confronted Ali and tried to shoot him point-blank. However, when her gun jammed, Ali fled in a car that was parked outside his house.
A video of the confrontation went viral on social media in 2019 and has recently resurfaced after Betro’s trial.
{{/usCountry}}A video of the confrontation went viral on social media in 2019 and has recently resurfaced after Betro’s trial.
{{/usCountry}}Did Aimee Betro act alone?
According to AFP, Betro had two co-conspirators, 56-year-old Mohammed Aslam and his 31-year-old son Mohammed Nabil Nazir. Betro told the jury that she met Nazir online and fell in love with him.
The men were jailed last year. They were charged for their roles in a “violent” feud which started when they were injured in 2018 while at a clothing store which belonged to Ali’s father.
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"Betro tried to kill a man in a Birmingham street at point-blank range. It is sheer luck that he managed to get away unscathed," said prosecutor Hannah Sidaway to AFP.
"It was a fairly poor attempt [at disguise] and again, whether or not the attitude was that the British police wouldn't be up to it, I think she was fatally flawed, if that was ever the consideration in her mind," Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas told the BBC.